The Fracture Clinic at East Surrey Hospital has been livened up with some new photography thanks to a competition led by the fracture clinic team.

Last year, the fracture clinic team collaborated with SASH Charity, the charity for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH), to launch a photo competition with the goal to make the Fracture Clinic waiting area a brighter and vibrant environment for patients.

The competition, open to everyone, was widely promoted on the charity’s social media channels and website, encouraging photographers of all levels to submit their photos for use as a large feature wall.

The images were required to be those of local landmarks or landscapes with the aim to make the waiting area more welcoming and comfortable.

A large number of photos were submitted by avid photographers and judged by a diverse, representative panel of colleagues from the orthopaedic department, SASH Charity and patient representatives. Of the images submitted for the competition, eight were selected as the winning photos. The winning photographers are:

  • Jay Frost
  • Rob Tweed
  • Rob Barber
  • Gwenda Sayers
  • Alex Pappachen
  • Jason Gardner
  • James Tanton

The winning photographs, printed with the funds from SASH Charity, are now displayed in the waiting room of the fracture clinic, drastically improving patient experience in the Fracture Clinic.

Patient Jacqueline Pulfold from Lingfield, said:

‘They are lovely, they brighten the room and it’s nice to have something to look at, especially as they are local. You should make them into a calendar.’

On 19 October 2022, the winners attended a small event to celebrate the artwork unveiling with some cakes and tea at East Surrey Hospital.

The fracture clinic at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has a track record of improving services for local people. In recent years, patients have been given quicker access to the advice they need to recover from fractures thanks to an improved virtual clinic.

Before the virtual fracture clinic existed, all patients who were treated via the Trust’s emergency department or through the local minor injuries units for a fracture would be called for a face to face appointment around ten days later. The new service ensures that patients are reviewed by a consultant or senior orthopaedic doctor sooner, meaning the vast majority are provided with the care plans and exercises they need to begin their recovery earlier without coming to hospital. Those who do need to come to hospital are given an appointment to see the most appropriate specialist, and now can wait in a much improved environment with attractive photography on the walls of the waiting room.

Osama Nooh, general manager in the surgical division at SASH, said:

“Suffering traumatic injuries can be very difficult for patients. The orthopaedic team at SASH helps alleviate anxieties and provides our patients and staff with a comfortable environment to deliver the best care possible, however when implementing the virtual fracture service, we realised we needed to improve the clinic environment for those spending a long time there.

“We were very grateful for SASH Charity’s generous donation to facilitate the photographic display and the excellent array of competition entries we received, which made it very difficult to choose the winners. The images of the local landscape are now displayed in the waiting area, offering patients a welcoming and calming environment and generating overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients. 

“Thank you to everyone for all the support received during this project. We wouldn’t be where we are now without you all.”

Take a look at the photos for the opening ceremony and some of the photographers with their photos: